As Australia’s data centre sector expands at unprecedented speed, the challenge of powering and cooling this critical digital infrastructure is becoming increasingly urgent. Rapid growth in cloud computing, artificial intelligence and digital services is driving demand for larger, more energy-intensive facilities, placing mounting pressure on electricity networks, resource availability and sustainability targets. As data centres become essential to economic growth and technological innovation, balancing performance, reliability and environmental responsibility has emerged as one of the industry's greatest challenges.

The session will examine the energy and cooling demands shaping the next phase of data centre development and explore the strategies being used to address capacity constraints, efficiency requirements and sustainability goals. It will consider the role of renewable energy, advanced cooling technologies, infrastructure planning and innovation in supporting future growth, while highlighting how the industry can build resilient, scalable and environmentally responsible digital infrastructure in an increasingly data-driven world.